This invention relates to an apparatus for the treatment of sewage, and in particular, relates to such an apparatus which reduces or decomposes raw sewage into a harmless effluent, which is suitable for use in irrigation or other non-potable uses.
Specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus for the aerobic decomposition of sewage and the like wherein raw sewage is introduced into a series of compartments and air is introduced thereinto, whereby aerobic bacteria act on the raw sewage to decompose the sewage and break it down into a substantially completely liquified odorless and sludge-free effluent, which can then be pumped either to a disposal field or which can be used to irrigate crops, lawns, gardens and the like, as desired. In fact, the effluent can even be recycled for non-potable uses.
One or more sewage decomposing units according to the invention can be provided, and in smaller or larger sizes, as necessary, in order to efficiently decompose the sewage from a single small source, such as a mobile home or the like, or from a large city. The apparatus according to the invention is smaller and less expensive than conventional sewage treatment facilities, and does not require as extensive or ideally situated disposal field as conventional sewage treatment facilities, and in fact, with the present invention there is no problem with sewage sludge as there is with prior art systems, and the present apparatus costs only one-fifth as much as conventional systems, and the effluent generated thereby is odorless and can be used for irrigation or other useful purposes, and thus the effluent from the apparatus of the invention is a useful asset rather than an expensive liability.
The effluent from the apparatus of the invention meets all Environmental Protection Agency standards for effluent, and the effluent is non-settling, is totally liquified and is odor free, and is useful to water and fertilize plants. The substantially complete liquification of the effluent and the elimination of sludge is one of the most important features of the present invention, and this result is apparently accomplished because of the recycling of all of the precipitates which settle out of the effluent during its processing through the various stages of the apparatus, and the use of the perforated drum to break up the incoming raw sewage, so that the aerobic bacteria can attack the sewage much more rapidly. Further, the introduction of air into the bottom of the apparatus, whereby the air bubbles upwardly through the sewage and effluent, and the use of the spinner device in the bottom of the first compartment, all enhance the decomposition of the sewage by the aerobic bacteria and prevent the accumulation of sludge in the various compartments of the apparatus.